The Worth of a Friend
by AllieJenks98
Summary: Episode tag for season 10 episode 17 Talion
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: I really loved the episode 'Talion' I thought the exploration of the more Jaffa side of Teal'c's character was awesome, but I thought the ending was rather inadequate especially since Teal'c's actions when confronted by the rest of SG-1 were unresolved. This episode tag/addition is a combination of way too much alcohol, an extremely late night, and a very persistent plot bunny…anyway, hope everyone enjoys…**_

"_I would not like to be the one who opposes you."_ Bratac's words, meant as respectful reassurance, kept replaying in Teal'c's mind, a reminder of what his quest for revenge had forced him to do to his teammates, his friends.

Sam had assured him that everyone was alright, and there were no hard feelings, Daniel had joking asked if he had another stun device he could borrow to use in the mess next time they served waffles, Vala had asked if he wanted her to go shopping for him, and Colonel Mitchell, hadn't said much of anything except to get well soon.

Teal'c knew his instinct for revenge against Arkad had been justified, but the cost had been great. His confrontation with Col. Mitchell kept replaying in his mind; he had seen Mitchell's fighting skills in action many times before and knew the Colonel had been holding back, trying not to hurt him.

With shame Teal'c reflected that he had felt no need to curb his emotions, he had known at the time, despite Mitchell's skill in Sodan fighting methods, that their fight had not needed to continue for so long. It was his emotions that betrayed him into harming a man he considered a worthy companion, and a friend.

He would apologize to Colonel Mitchell, and offer to relinquish his position if necessary.

Guilt was a feeling Teal'c had become familiar with, but guilt because of actions he had knowingly and willingly committed was a sensation he had hoped never to feel again.

He stared up at the infirmary ceiling barely visible with the lights set to night cycle, but all he could see was Mitchell's expression. He could tell that for a moment Mitchell had believed Teal'c was going to kill. Now, Teal'c wondered, if their fight had lasted a minute, or even a second more would he have killed the Colonel, would he have been able to control the rush that demanded blood?

"_We can talk about this!"_

"_The time for talk is over, Colonel Mitchell."_

_**A/N**_

_**So I'm not sure if I should continue this, let me know if you guys think I should add to it. If so I have another chapter I can post. I hope you found this entertaining**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Thank you JodyMarie and EmJay! Without your awesome feedback this second chapter would have went straight to the recycle bin! Emjay; I'm sorry I couldn't respond to you directly but in answer to your question I will be trying to do four more chapters; each from the point of view of a different member of SG-1. You guys are awesome, thank you so much for your reviews!**_

Cameron Mitchell was more than relieved when Landry finally left him alone in the observation room. He hated having to lie about Arkad's death and Teal'c's actions, or maybe not the lying so much as lying to General Landry; not that he really wanted to admit that Teal'c had single-handedly knocked him out with very little effort.

He looked down at the infirmary; watching Teal'c and Bratak. When he had come to lead SG-1 he had believed the team to be something akin to a family; maybe he had been wrong, maybe Teal'c had found his family and it was not SG-1.

Bratak rose stiffly and limped out of the room and Cam decided now was as good a time as any to talk to Teal'c. He was surprised by how stiff his own muscles had become and the wave of dizziness assaulted him when he stood. However, he was not surprised when Dr. Lam intercepted him at the door to Teal'c's room.

"Colonel, maybe you'd like to explain why you didn't come to _me _for your post-mission checkup?" She crossed her arms and gave him her best glare.

"Yeah, sorry doc, you looked kinda busy, one of your nurses gave me the all clear." Somehow, Cam doubted Dr. Lam would be fooled, but he wasn't really in the mood to be confined to an infirmary bed, so he had to try. When her expression didn't change he added, slightly desperately, "Look, doc, I really need to talk to Teal'c."

Her frown softened slightly but she didn't back down. "You can talk to Teal'c; after I give you your check-up. Judging from that bruise on your head you have a concussion and who knows what else you haven't told me about."

"Ah, look, doc, my head can wait. I have to talk to Teal'c!" He made to push past her but stumbled as another wave of dizziness crashed over him and his vision blurred.

"Colonel! Alright, that's it, your off duty until I say otherwise, and you'll be spending the night in the infirmary."

Cam opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it when he couldn't decide which of the three Dr. Lams he should be focusing on. "That migh'be a good idea doc." So he let her guide him to a bed, tolerate her annoyance at discovering he also had bruised ribs, three dislocated fingers, and five fractured bones in his hand, and mutinously determined that as soon as Dr. Lam left he would slip away and warn Teal'c that he had changed the report before the Jaffa said something to Landry that would jeopardize his position on the team.

Regardless of Teal'c's actions he was a member of SG-1, and Cameron wasn't about to let him go down without a fight.

_**Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think by leaving you review! :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: So here I am again! Thank you JodyMarie for your awesome review!I just realized I haven't done a disclaimer for this story yet so; I don't own SG-1, all I own is the laptop I'm writing on and every episode of Stargate ever aired.**_

When Samantha Carter was informed that two of her teammates were now residing in the infirmary she was, unfortunately, not surprised. When she, Daniel, and Vala had regained consciousness on Arkad's planet they had been unable to contact Cameron Sam had been annoyed but nor overly concerned; he was probably unconscious from another stun device. They had found him near the still groggy members of SG-3, and it was then that Sam became concerned, and not just for Mitchell, but for all of them. If Teal'c was reacting that violently to his own team members she had to acknowledge the possibility that he might not care about being a member of SG-1 any longer.

Now, with Cam in the infirmary it was time she had a good, long talk with Teal'c; Dr. Lam, however, had other plans. As soon as Sam entered the infirmary the doctor descended on her in a fury worthy of her father.

"If anyone else is hurt I swear I'll-I'll-" Lam lapsed into silence, more from lack of breath than lack of something to say and Sam took that chance to ask how Cam was.

Dr. Lam sighed, and rubbed a hand across her eyes. "As well as can be expected considering he has a concussion, multiple fractured and bruised ribs, broken bones in his hand and wrist, and dislocated fingers." She shrugged, suddenly looking more tired than annoyed. "I really don't understand how he stayed on his feet for as long as he did, but if I hadn't caught him trying to go and see Teal'c I probably wouldn't have known he was hurt."

"I just, I don't understand, the rest of you are the most difficult and annoying patients I have ever had the misfortune of treating, but you don't hide injuries, or refuse treatment," after a moments thought she shrugged again and fell silent.

Sam was faced with the dilemma of trying to explain Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell to someone who didn't know him well enough to fully understand, so she decided to keep it simple.

"When Cam came here to lead SG-1 to find that SG-1 no longer existed he wouldn't stop trying until he got us all back on the team, since then he has risked his life for us more times than I would like to count, he's laughed, cried, and bled with us, he's proven himself time and time again, but personally I don't think he believes he's worthy to be one of us; he doesn't think he can ever replace General O'Neill." It was Sam's turn to shrug at the shocked slightly bewildered expression on Lam's face.

"He seems to think that Jack could have talked Teal'c out of leaving; would have contained the situation before it escalated."

"Could General O'Neill have done that?"

Sam shrugged again. "Probably not, if Teal'c is determined to do something no one can stop him. Speaking of Teal'c I need to talk to him."

Dr. Lam shook her head, the annoyed look returning. "He's asleep, finally, you can see him tomorrow. Colonel Mitchell could probably use the company though."

Neither of the two woman noticed Teal'c, leaning heavily against the door to his room; he had heard every word of their conversation.

_**AN. So, small cliffhanger there, sorry, couldn't resist. This story still has a few chapters left, so please bear with me, and leave your thoughts below. PLEASE REVIEW! ;) Thank you for your time!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: Here I am again, sorry for the wait :( Thank you for your wonderful reviews!  
**_

When Daniel Jackson finally convinced Doctor Lam that he wasn't hiding any life threatening injuries, and made his way into Teal'c's room, he was hardly surprised to find the Jaffa fidgeting and looking stoically miserable.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c regarded him for a moment before turning away; his eyes focusing on the ceiling.

"Look, Teal'c there's no easy way to say this so I'm just gonna come out with it. Mitchell changed to report on Landry and the IOA. He told them Arkad's men attacked us. So, you're gonna be and-well, just, everything's gonna be fine."

"Colonel Mitchell should not have done so."

There was something in Teal'c's voice that bothered Daniel, but he was so unused to the Jaffa displaying much emotion of any kind that he could not place what it was. "Why do you say that?"

Instead of answering directly Teal stared at the ceiling again; Daniel was starting to wonder if he'd gone into some meditative trance when Teal'c finally spoke. "Why would Col. Mitchell risk his position for someone who knowingly caused him harm? Why would any of you risk so much when might well have been lost to the team?"

_"You know when Vala first disappeared, when the Ori gate was destroyed, I refused to write her off. Although the odds were against it, I believed somehow she'd find a way to survive, and come back to us. And it turned out I was right, I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I wanted to be right again."_

Teal'c's mouth twitched in the hint of a smile. "Indeed."

"Teal'c," Daniel shifted in his uncomfortable chair and tried to find a way to say what he needed to without upsetting his friend. "Why'd you use a stun device on us, and fight hand to hand with Mitchell?"

When Teal'c responded there was still something about his voice that bothered Daniel, but his expression was completely blank. "Colonel Mitchell surprised me; he is a worthy opponent."

Daniel attempt not to feel insulted was somewhat helped by the fact that Colonel Mitchell was currently occupying an infirmary bed.

"I greatly respect Colonel Mitchell, but I allowed my rage to control me. I am longer worthy to serve beside any of you; I have broken every bond of trust that binds us together as a team."

"Teal'c, no of us feel that way. Look, we all understand that as a Jaffa you have to uphold your own code of honor. We all knew the risks when we came to stop you!" Dr. Lam peered in at the door in response to his raised voice and gave her a brief look of apology, and lowered his voice.

"Come on Teal'c, you need to realize that Colonel Mitchell would do anything for this team; if you leave, he'll blame himself." There really wasn't anything Teal'c could say to that, so they sat in silence until Lam ordered Daniel out and demanded that her patient get some rest.

_**While Daniel is one of my favorite characters he is almost impossible for me to write GRRRR :( Anyway; next chap should be a little longer, and then one more after that. Please leave your reviews! I love hearing what you think! :) BTW, the italicized quote is a slightly edited version of the one from Memento Mori :)  
**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE REALLY REALLY LONG WAIT :*( ! Anyway I'm back now with the final chapter :) If anyone was hoping for a Vala chapter I'm sorry, but this isn't :( Sorry, I love Vala's character, but she is soooo hard to write and I needed to finish this, anyway, I will be resolving the situation with Cam and Teal'c, hopefully to everyone's satisfaction.  
_**

Cameron was becoming very annoyed by Doctor Lam's continual hovering, apparently she knew him well enough by now to know he would slip away as soon as her back was turned, and wasn't taking that chance. It was nearly 23:00 when she finally turned the infirmary over to the slightly less watchful night nurse and left, giving Cameron a final warning not to move from his bed; a warning which he had no intention of heeding.

When the nurse was finally dozing at her desk he slipped out of bed and limped, somewhat silently, across the infirmary to Teal'c's room.

The Jaffa was sleeping, peacefully enough, probably due to the painkillers in his IV. Cam was reassured by the steady sound of Teal'c's breathing, for a terrifying moment in Arkad's base he had thought his friend was dead. In that moment Teal'c's previous actions hadn't mattered, and if Arkad had not already been dead Cam would have killed the traitorous Jaffa himself.

Now that Teal'c's survival was certain Cameron was unsure what he should do, or how the Jaffa would react to his teammates interference. He was certain General O'Neill would have known what to do, how to convince Teal'c to stay, even more, would have kept Teal'c safe in the first place.

He pulled an uncomfortable plastic chair closer to Teal'c's bed and sat, trying to ignore the aching of his bruised body, and leaned back, keeping watch over his injured friend.

* * *

As awareness slowly returned Teal'c became aware that he was not alone, and turning his head saw Colonel Mitchell, slumped in a chair beside him and obviously lost in thought.

"Colonel Mitchell." He started at the sound of his name and Teal'c felt another wave of guilt flood over him at the flash of pain that crossed his face.

"Hey, Teal'c, how ya feelin'?"

"I am alive," silently Teal'c cursed himself for a fool and coward, who could not voice the apology he so desperately wanted to make.

"And Arkad isn't, I guess you got what you wanted."

"No matter the consequence," Teal'c added stonily. In the dim light it was impossible for Teal'c to see Colonel Mitchell's expression, so he continued. "Colonel Mitchell, I will resign my position if you feel you can no longer trust me." The Colonel in question remained silent for a long moment and when he did speak his words surprised the Jaffa.

"If anyone should resign their position I should, look Teal'c, I made a mess of things, maybe I should have just zatted you back on the planet, but you're my team-mate, my friend, you're-you're family, and I couldn't just shoot you in the back. If I had you wouldn't be laying in the infirmary right now."

"But Arkad would be alive. Colonel Mitchell, you owe me no apology, it is I who should apologize. It is I who injured you-"

But Cameron cut him off, "Ya know, I'd prefer if you stick to my version of events; I told Landry and the IOA that Arkad's guards captured us and you killed Arkad to save us."

Teal'c shook his head, still not able to comprehend why the Colonel would risk so much for him. _"You're family" _And human families protected each other no matter what the personal cost. Recognizing that, he could accept the Colonel's faith in him and would do everything in his power to repay him for his trust.

Cam seemed to sense the change in Teal'c's demeanor, and smiled. "So, we good?"

"Indeed."

"Well, it's about time!" Daniel, Sam, and Vala, chose that moment to burst into the room, carrying bagels and coffee, and followed by an irate Dr. Lam; they were a team again; a family.

**_AN: And there we are, finally, thanks to everyone who gave me wonderful reviews you guys are awesome! See you next time :) _**

**_-Allie_**


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